Suite Johnson And The City By Ann Petry: Summary

One doesn’t normally think of wind as a defining factor of the cityscape. But in this excerpt, Ann Petry uses wind to describe the state of the city through methods such as personification, detail, and figurative language, all of which establish the relationship of Suite Johnson and the city as harsh and unforgiving.

The excerpt begins with a time and a place lending to the mental image the author is attempting to establish. The wind is personified as rattling trash cans and driving people off of the streets, the attention to detail further building the scene in the minds of the audience. It seems cold and barren, the actions of the wind reckless, depicted as something undesirable. The use of language such as “violent” furthers this through avoidance and fear, evoking the feeling of bowing to excessive strength. The street in the mind’s eye is empty and cold, where no one wants to be stuck. This continues to be built in the next section as well.

The next paragraph focuses on what the wind is carrying along with it, dirty bits of paper and trash that adds to the distaste held for the street.

The mental image becomes covered in grime and trash, something most generally want to escape from or have nothing to do with. A mood of irritation and annoyance starts to be built when the pedestrians are described once more. Their mounting anger at the driving wind and copious trash is easy to relate to and decreases the appeal of the city until the mood shifts, becoming uncomfortable and invasive when the wind is described as having fingers stuck in people’s coat collars. The invasive cold is something no one enjoys, and that is where the main character is first established and the connection is made between her and the city. Lutie Johnson feels uncomfortable in the wind, vulnerable and exposed with chills running up her spine because of it, and this translates back to her relationship with the

city.
Lutie’s relationship with the city is reflected in the relationship of the pedestrians with the wind--a source of irritation, annoyance, uncomfortable invasion, and vulnerability. As the excerpt ends, describing the sign and what she is looking for, this becomes more apparent. Although the rooms may not be in optimal shape considering the state of the rusted sign, her discomfort in the city drives her to it nonetheless, in the same way the city-dwellers were driven off the street by the wind. The pre-established dirt and grime, irritation, and lack of warmth have driven her to see the rooms as reasonable where as another may have passed by without a thought and continued walking. Instead of focusing on the potential problems, she zeros in on the positives, and concludes it to be more reasonable than staying on the street or out in the city.
Lutie’s disdain for the city is described in the actions of the wind and the effect that has on the people caught in the streets, building the annoyance, discomfort, and irritation of the pedestrians in a way that mirrors the main character and her view on the city.